http://www.nsoptimum.co.uk/company/NewsPressReleases.htm
Leading ICT schools’ computer provider, NS Optimum, is delighted to have been awarded provisional Approved Supplier status for the Government’s £300 million Home Access programme which was launched in January 2010.
The programme provides eligible low-income families with children in school years 3-9 in state-maintained education in England (typically aged between 7 and 14 years), and children being looked after by their local authority, with a one-off grant of up to £528 to buy a compliant computer and/or broadband internet access.
It is part of the Government’s efforts to give all learners an equal opportunity to get on in school. This will not only have benefits for the learners but also improve IT skills and assist the economy in the long term by allowing children to boost their education and life skills. It will also provide many social and economic benefits for the whole family through being connected to the internet.
Schools’ Secretary Ed Balls said there had been "a fantastic response from families to the ground-breaking offer we've made". He said that “computers are as essential as books, pens and paper to help children learn.” Recent evidence has suggested that having a computer at home associates with a 2 grade improvement in one subject at GCSE. This means that a pupil who would have got a D, could, with the effective use of technology at home, now get a B at GCSE.
NS Optimum is delighted to be listed as a provisional Approved Supplier to the Home Access programme as it further reinforces the part they play in addressing inequalities in access to computers and the internet, and helping all people to realise their full potential.
The grants will entitle eligible families to acquire a package worth up to £528, including:
- A computer built to a pre-defined specification
- 12 months’ fixed or mobile broadband access
- Spreadsheet and word processing software
- Wraparound package of support, warranty and product all in a box
- Internet filtering/parental controls, anti-virus and Assistive Technology software
- The Windows Live suite, including Messenger and Photo Gallery
- Microsoft Movie Maker and Microsoft Media Player
- A range of online services
- Microsoft Learning Essentials
- Comprehensive hot-line support and warranty for one year
- Help, advice & training on getting started on the internet
- Helpdesk staffed from 8am – 9pm
More information about NS Optimum can be found at www.nsoptimum.co.uk
or call 01926 880300.
For more information on eligibility and applying for a grant go to www.homeaccess.org.uk or call 0333 200 1004 to contact the Home Access Grant Administration Service directly.
Notes to editors
About NS Optimum
NS Optimum recently received an award for Corporate Social Responsibility for their donation programme to the emerging market in the Dominican Republic. In 2007, NS Optimum began to recondition used, serviceable computers that schools and other customers decided to replace, and donated them to schools on the Caribbean island. The team continue to co-ordinate a sustained project to refurbish used computers, servers, other hardware and networking equipment for supply to the island’s schools.
About Home Access (www.homeaccess.org.uk)
The Home Access programme provides grants to eligible families with children in full-time education in England. The grant enables them to buy a computer and/or internet access to support learning from home. The programme aims to benefit more than 270,000 households that currently lack access by March 2011 and is being managed for the Government by Becta.
About Becta (www.becta.org.uk)
Becta is the government agency leading the national drive to ensure the effective use of technology through learning. It is Becta's ambition to use the benefits of technology to create a more exciting, rewarding and successful experience for learners of all ages and abilities, enabling them to achieve their potential.
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